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Ishita Roy

Lauren Macpherson Brushed Off Her Symptoms as ADHD, Turns Out She Had Terminal Brain Cancer

<span>Lauren Macpherson</span>, 29, started showing symptoms of what she later realized was terminal <span>brain cancer</span> after a heavy case fell from the luggage rack of a train on her head. She had to be rushed to hospital. She was on the train for a music festival in London and had to be taken off halfway due to excruciating pain. She had instant swelling and doctors feared that she had a fracture in her spine or a concussion. However, scans revealed something else. There was a shadow on her brain, which turned out to be a tumor. She was told that she only had 12 months to live. 

“As [the doctor] said it I just knew, because I’ve been having all these symptoms building up, especially over the last two years, and it just clicked. There is an instinct inside you, and when you have been feeling unwell, it just all made sense,” said Lauren. 

<h2>Lauren Dismissed Her Symptoms As ADHD</h2>

She revealed that she had been suffering from a series of symptoms like extreme fatigue, bad memory, emotional dysregulation, stomach pain, and headaches. She however, believed that these symptoms were linked to ADHD (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder). This condition is also characterized by behavioral differences like difficulties with focus. 

Surprising to most, being told that she had a brain tumor was a "relief" to her. "You think you are going crazy, all these things going wrong. I would have such bad days where I literally could not get out of bed. Like nobody would understand," she said.

Read: <a href="https://www.healthandme.com/health-wellness/colon-cancer-is-the-leading-cause-of-death-in-us-for-people-under-50-article-153824381" data-type="tilCustomLink">Colon Cancer Is The Leading Cause Of Death In US For People Under 50</a> 

Doctors had told her in September 2025 that she may have less than a year to live. "I just kept saying, 'just give me my thirties'. I will be grateful for anything just as long as I get my thirties and it gives me time to just say goodbye and have a bit of a life," she said. 

“That’s all I could think about. I couldn’t think of anything else, it was just get through it, to get through my thirties and that is all." 

A biopsy showed that she had oligodendroglioma. This is a rare type of tumor that develops in the glial cells. She was told that the average life expectancy of such a tumor is around 10 to 12 years. 

Last year, in October, she had a six-hour awake craniotomy at a private clinic in London. While surgeons were able to remove 80 per cent of the tumor, she struggled with memory loss afterwards. 

"I couldn’t speak and didn’t even know how to unlock my phone,” she wrote in a blog post for Brain Tumour Research. "Slowly, my memory and speech returned. I still can’t read or write properly and I’m undergoing rehabilitation. I still search for words during conversation and get headaches, but things are improving," she wrote.

She now wants to live her live to full with what time she has left and is planning to marry her partner Zac and enjoy a trip to Italy to mark her 30th birthday.

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Lauren Macpherson, 29, started showing symptoms of what she later realized was terminal brain cancer after a heavy case fell from the luggage rack of a train on her head. She had to be rushed to hospital. She was on the train for a music festival in London and had to be taken off halfway due to excruciating pain. She had instant swelling and doctors feared that she had a fracture in her spine or a concussion. However, scans revealed something else. There was a shadow on her brain, which turned out to be a tumor. She was told that she only had 12 months to live. “As [the doctor] said it I just knew, because I’ve been having all these symptoms building up, especially over the last two years, and it just clicked. There is an instinct inside you, and when you have been feeling unwell, it just all made sense,” said Lauren. Lauren Dismissed Her Symptoms As ADHDShe revealed that she had been suffering from a series of symptoms like extreme fatigue, bad memory, emotional dysregulation, stomach pain, and headaches. She however, believed that these symptoms were linked to ADHD (attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder). This condition is also characterized by behavioral differences like difficulties with focus. Surprising to most, being told that she had a brain tumor was a "relief" to her. "You think you are going crazy, all these things going wrong. I would have such bad days where I literally could not get out of bed. Like nobody would understand," she said.Read: Colon Cancer Is The Leading Cause Of Death In US For People Under 50 Doctors had told her in September 2025 that she may have less than a year to live. "I just kept saying, 'just give me my thirties'. I will be grateful for anything just as long as I get my thirties and it gives me time to just say goodbye and have a bit of a life," she said. “That’s all I could think about. I couldn’t think of anything else, it was just get through it, to get through my thirties and that is all." The Condition Lauren HasA biopsy showed that she had oligodendroglioma. This is a rare type of tumor that develops in the glial cells. She was told that the average life expectancy of such a tumor is around 10 to 12 years. Last year, in October, she had a six-hour awake craniotomy at a private clinic in London. While surgeons were able to remove 80 per cent of the tumor, she struggled with memory loss afterwards. "I couldn’t speak and didn’t even know how to unlock my phone,” she wrote in a blog post for Brain Tumour Research. "Slowly, my memory and speech returned. I still can’t read or write properly and I’m undergoing rehabilitation. I still search for words during conversation and get headaches, but things are improving," she wrote.She now wants to live her live to full with what time she has left and is planning to marry her partner Zac and enjoy a trip to Italy to mark her 30th birthday.

lauren macpherson brushed off her symptoms as adhd, turns out she had terminal brain cancer

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Lauren Macpherson Brushed Off Her Symptoms as ADHD, Turns Out She Had Terminal Brain Cancer